


Leap of Faith

by Trexi



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Episode: s01e10 The Moment of Truth, Gen, Magic Reveal, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 12:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16241525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trexi/pseuds/Trexi
Summary: After Morgana interrupts their conversation, Merlin whispers five words into Arthur’s ear before darting outside to prepare for the battle, five words that change the course of destiny.





	Leap of Faith

“I was born with magic,” Merlin whispers.

He darts outside before I can so much as breathe out, let alone process his words. This has to be some sort of sick joke, some ludicrous claim to distract me from the odds of winning this fight. But Merlin was shaking. I’ve seen him lie so many times and not known the reason why. That wasn’t him lying. He must be confused then. Something must’ve taken him over. Anything must have happened to distort his mind because there is no way that Merlin has magic.

Now’s not the time. I’ll interrogate him once we make it out of this alive.

*

The self-sacrificing idiot runs off to help Morgana, somehow managing through perfectly natural and non-magical means to dodge an arrow. Soon enough, the fight truly starts. I lead the villagers in the battle, cutting down anyone who dares meet my sword. Every time I look up, we’re losing worse and worse. I round a corner and see Merlin and Will fighting together. Merlin looks around him, eyes widening at the villagers being cut down. He meets my eyes and sighs.

His eyes burn gold.

“CUME THODEN!”

A windstorm forms between us and targets the bandits.

“Pendragon!”

I tear my eyes away from Merlin and parry Kanen’s strike. He rages, pouring power into his blows, but they’re sloppy. I quickly overwhelm him and run him through. The sounds of fighting are all but gone now. The remaining bandits turn tail and run. The villagers cheer. I stalk towards Merlin. He stares me down with that usual glare of blatant disobedience. But his clenched fists are trembling. His terrified. The lying, traitorous sorcerer is scared of me.

Will tries to stand between us. Merlin pushes him aside.

“Don’t,” he warns. “It’s me he’s got a problem with.”

“He shouldn’t have a problem! You saved his life! You saved all our lives!”

“That doesn’t matter.”

I stop a blade’s length away, my sword still in hand. “Merlin.”

“Arthur.”

“You’re a sorcerer.”

“Warlock. Already told you I was born with magic. I had as much choice in that as you did being born Prince.”

“I trusted you.”

Merlin looks past me. His eyes flash gold. I turn around. An arrow is suspended directly in front of my heart. Kanen drops his crossbow and goes limp. The arrow shatters. I whip around and step back. Merlin’s eyes blaze with fury. He lets the arrow pieces fall and looks back at me. His expression softens.

I take another step back. “Why?”

“I’m not about to let you die, even if you are a royal prat.”

“But you have magic.”

Merlin rolls his eyes. “I thought we went over that already.”

“Why would you save me?”

“Because you’re my friend and I don’t want you to die.”

“No. You have magic. You’re a servant. I’m the Prince of Camelot.” I grip my sword. “We can’t be friends.”

Merlin flinches. “You’re scared of me?”

“You can conjure windstorms, stop arrows mid-flight and shatter them. I’ve helped slaughter your kind for years. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I would never use my magic against you, Arthur.”

“You expect me to trust you?”

“I expect you to believe me! Do you have any idea how many times I’ve saved your life and all of Camelot since I first met you? I stopped a sorceress from killing the Court in my first week, then froze time to save you from a dagger that same minute. I summoned the snakes from Valiant’s shield to prove he was cheating and save your life. I saved Gwen’s father from the water sickness, then summoned wind to help you defeat Nimueh’s Afanc. I drank poison for you, Arthur, and then I sent a guiding light while I was dying. I enchanted Lancelot’s weapon to defeat the Griffin. I defeated Edwin Muirden and saved your father’s life using magic, despite the risk.

“I killed the two Sidhe posing as nobles who tried to drown you in the Lake of Avalon, and then dragged your armour-laden great lump from said lake. I was the one who first saved Mordred from the guards and brought him to the Lady Morgana. I forged a sword in dragon’s breath that was meant for you, but your father used to kill your resurrected uncle. And none of that is counting the times I’ve saved you and your knights from bandits and the like on hunts and patrols. So why, Arthur, why on Earth would I want to hurt you? My magic is meant to protect you. My destiny is entwined with yours. My life is in your hands.” Merlin kneels. “What are you going to do with it, Arthur Pendragon?”

“What can I do? Would you have me lie to my father? Would you have me look him in the eye and act like my manservant doesn’t possess powerful magic? Would have me be a hypocrite who only allows magic-users I like to live? What would you have me do, Merlin?”

“I want you to form your own opinion on magic, instead of basing it on what others have told you. I want you to become the great King you’re destined to be. I want you to live, Arthur, even if that means I have to sneak around and save lives without taking the credit.”

My sword clatters to the ground. “You were born with magic?”

“Been using it since before I could speak.”

“Then if magic corrupts, you should be the evilest person to ever live.”

Merlin grimaces. “More like I’m destined to be the most powerful warlock to ever live.”

“You?”

He shrugs. “Apparently.”

“You’re not that vile.”

“Thanks?”

“You scare off animals during hunts.”

“I still don’t see how you enjoy killing for sports.”

“You were born with magic.”

Merlin tilts his head to the side. “We have been through that already, sire. A few times now.”

“You’re a good person, insufferable, the worse servant I’ve ever had, but a good person.” I shake my head. “Stand up already, _Mer_ lin. You look like an idiot kneeling like that.”

He stands. “What’s-.”

“I do believe I told you that you’d be coming back to Camelot once this Kanen was dealt with. You’ll have to help your village clean up first, of course. And I suppose you can say goodbye to your mother if you absolutely must. But then I want those horses prepared. My father’s going to be furious enough that Morgana and I took off without a word. I’m sure you can come up with an adequate excuse that’ll lead to a healthy day in the stocks and maybe even a night or two in the dungeons. Then I’ll see about some more training. Frankly your overreliance on magic is going to get your head chopped off some day. You should really know how to use a sword properly. Perhaps Guinevere can give you some lessons. She’s certainly better than you.”

Merlin grins. “Thank you, Arthur.”

“Yes, well, apparently I would’ve died a few times by now if it wasn’t for you. I’m the Crown Prince of Camelot. I can hardly be in debt to my manservant.”

Merlin’s smile is somehow brighter than those gold eyes of his. Will actually bows to me before moving off to help with the clean-up. Now I just have to convince an entire village of witnesses to not report back to anyone in Camelot that I basically pardoned a known sorcerer. Perhaps Merlin has a way of wiping memories. Being the most powerful warlock to ever live has to count for something.

**Author's Note:**

> There you go, now it's an actual moment of truth, instead of making the audience believe there'll be a magic reveal in episode 10, and we'll see Merlin/Arthur fighting side-by-side with magic/sword throughout the show, rather than a magic reveal in the Series Finale. (Only slightly bitter about that)


End file.
